Link-holder.



No. 667,998. Patented Feb. l2, l90l. C; STEPHENSON.

LINK HOLDER.

(Application filed July 10. (N0 Model.)

arnnr rident UllAltlJElllAGNE STEPHENSON, OF CONYERS, GEORGIA.

MNM l-iQILDER.

To aZZ whom, it vii/my cumccrn:

Be it known that l, CHARLEMAGNE STE- PHENSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at ()onyers, in the county of Rockdale, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Link- Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to car-couplers in general,and more particularly to that class known as link-couplers; and its object is to provide a device for holding the link in a horizontal position within the coupler to obviate the necessity of the trainman passing between the cars when they are being coupled to hold the link of one coupler and guide it into the opening of the opposite one.

With this object in view I have constructed a device such as is described in this specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a side view of a coupler contained in my invention and of the link in place, the coupler being shown in section.

Referring now to the drawings, in the manufacture of my invention I provide a body Ct, having a if-head b, at the ends of which are flanges c and (Z, which extend at right angles to the head in the direction of the body a and parallel thereto. Extending from two opposite sides of the body (6, at right angles thereto and at right angles to the T-head, are arms e and f, and upon the extremities of the arms are flanges g and 7t, which extend at right angles to the arms in the direction of the T- head and parallel to the body, the flanges 0, (Z, g, and 71 being of aboutequalheight. Passing through the bot y a and longitudinal thereof is a perforation t'.

The operation is as follows: I first place a link in position upon my holder, as is shown in Fig. 2that is, in such a manner as to al low one of its ends to lie between one of the flanges g and 7t and the body a, and its two sides to rest upon the T-head, between its flanges c and d and the body portion. When the link has been thus placed in position, the holder is slipped into the opening of the outer head in such a manner as to allow the perforation i to fall directly in alineinent with the perforations in the coupler, and when this has been done the usual coupling-pin is dropped into the alining perforations. By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the link will then protrude horizontally from the opening of the coupler, and it will be held in this position by the weight of the protruding end. The said end may then be passed into the opening of the adjacent coupler and held therein by means of the pin in the usual manner.

It will be readily seen that but one of my holders will be required for a pair of couplers, and asuitable hook may be placed above the coupler to receive the odd holder, should one be found, in each of a pair of couplers.

It will be understood that the arms e and f extend about midway of the ends of the body a, and for this reason myinvention may be used in connection with cars of different heights, for if the coupler carrying my holder is slightly lower than the adjacent coupler the coupler is placed with the T-head upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2; but if they are of about equal height its position may be reversed.

It will of course be understood that when the couplers are at equal distances from the ground the holder should be placed in the lower of the two.

It will be understood that I may manufacture my invention of iron or other suitable material, and I may also vary its constructionwithout departing materially from the spirit thereof.

Having now fully shown and described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. A link-holder for car-couplers comprising a body portion having arms extending from opposite faces at each end thereof and at right angles to said faces, the arms at one end of the body portion lying at right angles to the arms at the opposite end of the body portion and in a plane parallel with the plane of the said opposite arms.

2. A link-holder for car-couplers comprising a body portion having arms extending from opposite faces at the ends thereof and at right angles thereto, the arms at one end of the body portion lying at right angles to the arms at the opposite end of the body portion and in a plane parallel to the plane of said opposite arms and the extremities of the arms having flanges parallel with the body portion, the flanges at one end of the body portion extending in the opposite direction to the flanges at the other end of the body portion.

3. A link-holder for car-couplers comprising a body portion having a pair of arms extending from opposite faces of the body portion at the ends thereof and at right angles thereto, one pair of arms lying at right angles to the other pair of arms and in a'plane parallel to the plane of said opposite arms, the

arms of each pair having terminating flanges OHARLEMAGNE STEPHENSON.

Witnesses:

J. W. PATTILLO, W. J. EAKES. 

